Lee Health celebrates 10th successful kidney transplant since program restart

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FORT MYERS, Fla. Stella Odie-Ali waited six years for a new kidney.

Then Lee Health halted it’s kidney transplant program in 2015 following the death of Cape Coral resident Jamie Donaldson, 40, during surgery.

“I think this area really created kind of really a vacuum when the program closed down,” said Dr. Jacfranz Guiteau, one of the health provider’s kidney transplant surgeons. “To go from here to Tampa here to Miami, it really was a disservice to the community.”

The journey was one Odie-Ali couldn’t afford to make.

“I would not have had the support system the family support system that I have here,” she said. “I know no one in Jacksonville or Tampa.”

Odie-Ali recently became the tenth person to receive a kidney transplant from Lee Health since its deceased donor program was restarted in March.

The revamp involved transitioning the program from a private practice to an in-hospital team, which cost Lee Health about $3 million in hiring doctors, retraining staff and adding new technology.

Transplants take place at Gulf Coast Medical Center, which is the only donation facility between Tampa and Miami.

“I think we had our first offer the first day we went open and transplant on our third day open so really, really fast,” Jacfranz said.

Lee Health is awaiting approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing to restart its live donor program, which can take up to three months.

Lee Health currently has 50 patients awaiting new kidneys.

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